The Wolves of Winterfell
by movienut96
Summary: Lyanna and Torrhen Stark are the twin children of Eddard and Catelyn, both follow the same morals, beliefs and entwining destinies. As friends become enemies and sides are chosen, Lyanna and Torrhen must follow different paths to achieve victory and the safety of their family. In the game of thrones, you win or die, and these wolves do not intend to follow the latter .
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Ned held his wife's hand as he felt her give birth to his child, he may not have been around for the birth of Robb but he was not going to miss the birth of this one, or any others following him or her. 'You're doing fine Cat' said Ned trying to give his wife some form of comfort as she kept screaming as she pushed out the babe, but she couldn't hear him as she was too busy at the job at hand. Ned could feel his heart beating twice as fast and his temperature rising as Catelyn kept squeezing his hand, tighter and tighter as minutes went by, no matter how painful it was, it couldn't match the pain that she was feeling.

'Alright lady Stark' maester Luwin said as he pulled the babe from Catelyn 'Just one more push and it's all over', Cat gave out a final loud sceam and then a gasp as she and Ned felt their second child enter the world. Soon after, the cries of an infant filled the room 'Congratulations my lord and lady, it's a girl' Luwin announced as he wrapped the girl in a blanket then handed her to her mother. Ned gave out a tear of joy as he looked at the swaddled bud in Cat's arms, even though she had just been born, the girl had auburn hair that seemed like it was ablaze like Cat and Robb, and when she opened her eyes to view the world she had been welcomed to Ned saw her eyes that seemed like they were made of silver, '_The perfect mixture of Stark and Tully_' he thought. 'What shall we name her?' Cat finally asked, Ned thought '_She's beautiful'_ as he continued staring at his daughter then thought _'Who besides Cat is as beautiful as my daughter?_' He then had the perfect name, 'Lyanna' he said with a hopeful look that Cat would also want to honour his deceased sister by naming his firstborn daughter after her. Catelyn looked at him for a while then smiled and said 'A perfect name' agreeing with her husband, Ned smiled and thought '_This couldn't get any better'_.

'My Lord, my Lady' Luwin said interrupting the two's moment with their daughter 'I was wrong, it's not over'. Ned and Cat tore their eyes from Lyanna and onto Luwin, 'Another?' Ned asked, Luwin nodded his head answering it all. Cat gave Ned Lyanna then resumed her birthing position, while he held her hand again with Lyanna in his free arm. Catelyn began screaming as she again pushed out her child, while Ned held her hand, Luwin pulling the babe out and Lyanna crying. Minutes of screaming and crying finally ceased, and were soon replaced with the wails of another new-born. 'It's a boy' Luwin announced, Ned and Cat cried tears of joy as Luwin gave the wrapped babe to Cat. Ned then looked down onto Lyanna who stopped crying as if she knew that her brother had been delivered safely; knowing immediately that these two would share an unbreakable bond. He then looked at his son, who his wife held closely to her chest with eyes full of unshed tears. Like Lyanna he was the perfect mixture of Stark and Tully but reversed, he had Ned's dark brown hair and Catelyn's bright blue eyes, it was hard to believe that they were both twins. 'Do you want to name him?' Ned asked, thinking that it was fair to allow Cat to name this one. Catelyn wondered for a moment then said 'Torrhen', Ned looked at her then at his son it was clear that he was Stark and should be named after a Stark ancestor. 'A perfect name' he said looking at Torrhen, then Lyanna and finally Catelyn before kissing her. And so they were Lyanna and Torrhen Stark, the second of their names, second and third children of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.

Years when by and Lyanna and Torrhen both became elder siblings to Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon and it was evident that the two were Starks. While Lyanna had Tully hair and Torrhen Tully eyes, Lyanna had the grey Stark eyes and Torrhen the brown hair, both had the long, lean Stark faces and lean bodies although Torrhen was more muscular and taller. They both also followed their father's code of honour and justice as well as following the Stark words, _winter is coming_, they both knew about the dangers beyond the wall and in the seven kingdoms and believed that it was their duty to protect their family from these dangers, from their father Eddard to their youngest sibling Rickon.

Speaking of family, there wasn't a single of their family that Torrhen and Lyanna didn't like or didn't get on with. They both had a strong bond with their parents who taught everything that they knew, Ned taught them about the laws of the land, how a man who passes the sentence swings the sword, taught them about the history of the north and ocassionly taught them how to fight and fend for themselves. While Catelyn taught the two about the importance of family, how to read and write and even how to dance, although she got quite annoyed when Lyanna refused to sit down with Septa Mordane and learn how to be a' proper' lady but she still loved her. Both twins got on well with their other siblings, they respected Robb as their elder brother who taught the two everything that he knew, they would protect and defend their sisters Sansa and Arya even when it meant protecting them from themselves, Bran was a good natured boy who loved everyone around him but Torrhen and Lyanna were the ones he loved the most and taught him everything when it came to fighting and they would protect Rickon as the baby of the family who loved the twins out of his elder siblings. They even got on well with their half-brother Jon Snow, who even they learned the term bastard, still loved him as a brother and treated him as such, often protecting him from the venomous glares of their mother and threatened anyone who would dare call him 'bastard' in front of them.

Ned and Catelyn watched from the courtyard balcony as Lyanna and Torrhen teach Bran archery, alongside Robb, Rickon and Jon who watched and commented Bran's performance mostly consisting of laughs when missed his target. Watching the young Starks and snow play made Ned wish life could go on this way, but sadly if this were true we won't have a story would we? A story of honour, love, family and the pursuit for vengeance.


	2. Author's note

Author's note

Before we begin the actual story, I would like to say a few things

1. This is my first story for fan fiction so any reviews both positive and negative would be appreciated as it can help me with future chapters and stories

2. Despite the category being game of thrones, I'm going to base some of the characters appearances (like the Stark children) based on the books as well as their ages as well as certain events that weren't mentioned in the series

3. I'm going to alter the ages of the younger characters (Theon Greyjoy/ Arianne Martell 19, Robb Stark/ Jon Snow 18, Jofrey Baratheon/ Lyanna Stark/ Torrhen Stark 16, Gendry 15, Sansa Stark 14, Arya Stark/ Myrcella Baratheon 11, Bran Stark 10, Tommen Baratheon 8, Rickon Stark 5)

4. Finally,I just to clarify that a song of ice and fire and game of thrones belongs to George RR Martin, David Benioff ,D.B Weiss and HBO as well as all characters associated with the franchises, but my OCs Torrhen and Lyanna are my own creation

Also, many thanks to London Kassidy who's own story Game of thrones: tale of the red wolf gave me inspiration for mine. Now that that's out of the way please enjoy The Wolves of Winterfell


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The cold winds of the north were brushing against the skin of Lyanna, but she was more focused on her brother Bran as he practiced his archery than the fear of catching the cold. She stood next to him, watching him and giving him advice alongside her elder brother Robb, youngest brother Rickon, half-brother Jon and twin brother Torrhen in the training grounds with her mother and father watching from the ramparts above.

Bran's latest attempt at a bullseye resulted in embedding an arrow in a barrel, as Bran started to grow more and more frustrated Jon knelt next to him and said 'Go on, father's watching' he then looked up to the ramparts 'and your mother' with Bran looking up with him. Lyanna couldn't help but feel unhinged when Jon said that part, but remained focused on Bran's attempt to score a perfect bullseye. But couldn't help but laugh when Bran's next arrow flew over the wall of the training grounds.

Lyanna and her brothers laughs were soon replaced with the booming, powerful voice of her father, 'and which one of you was a marksman at ten?' while that silenced Robb, Jon, Rickon and herself, Torrhen with a smirk on his face raised his hand, answering his question and resulting in another laugh between her and her other brothers. While this was a successful attempt to make his siblings laugh, Lyanna knew the truth in this, by the time he was ten he was already getting perfect scores at 100 yards and by watching him now it seemed he was born to wield a bow capable of shooting two arrows at a time.

'That's because I practiced to earn my talent Bran, keeping practicing and you'll be the one laughing' said Torrhen as he resettled himself on the fence alongside Rickon. 'Then why am I here Torrhen?' Jon asked 'you're the expert surely you'll be able to teach Bran more than I can?' 'Nah' Torrhen replied 'I'm comfortable here, besides you're doing a wonderful job' 'Please Torrhen?' Bran asked with a pleading look on his face, Torrhen smiled Lyanna knew that he couldn't deny Bran anything when it came to helping him with weapon training. 'Step aside Jon', Jon did as Torrhen asked who then knelt next to Bran so he could observe his details as he held his bow. 'Alright, place your feet in the same place as your shoulders' Torrhen said with wisdom in his voice as Bran did as Torrhen asked of him 'keep your toes pointing forward, take a deep breath, turn your head to the target, hold your bow up, draw your arrow, aim and'.

Suddenly and arrow with a thud hit the target, but it didn't come from Bran because his arrow was still in his bow, Lyanna and the others turned their heads to the source of the arrow to find their youngest sister Arya with a bow in her left hand and a smile on her face. No doubt she managed to sneak her way out of her lesson with septa Mordane, there was also no doubt that she was simply bored, but also jealous that Lyanna had been training with weapons since she was six and wanted in on the action. Arya curtisied sarcastically before Bran ran after her hot on her heels while Lyanna and her other siblings laughed. 'I think our little Arya is Nymeria reborn, don't you think father?' Lyanna asked looking up at her father with a grin on her face, who replied with his own smile.

'She's good I admit' replied Torrhen; while at the same time was getting himself into his archer's position with Bran's discarded bow. He then drew an arrow and fired a perfect bullseye on the target splitting Arya's arrow in the process 'But I'm the best' said Torrhen who then bowed gracefully to his siblings. Lyanna couldn't help but applaud Torrhen as this was new feat that Torrhen had accomplished as Robb and Jon patted him on the back. 'That was amazing' Jon replied 'you should be the one teaching Bran, and rest of us for that matter' Lyanna said with her own comment. 'I don't know' replied Torrhen 'as I said Jon is doing a wonderful job, unless father thinks differently?' as he lifted his head along with Lyanna to the ramparts with their father still watching. 'I see no problem with you taking over teaching Bran Torrhen' said her father with a smile on his face.

Suddenly Rickon came up to Torrhen and said 'Can you teach me too Torrhen?' with a pleading smile on his face, with this Torrhen ruffled Rickon's auburn curls and said 'I can teach you to be better than Arya little brother' 'But I take it you're not going to teach him how to be better than yourself little brother?' Lyanna asked with a smirk dominating her lips, 'Hey I have a reputation to keep' Torrhen replied 'and don't call me little brother, you're only 6 minutes older than me' 'And don't you forget it' Lyanna replied while she, Robb, Jon and Rickon laughed at Torrhen getting chastised by his twin sister. Despite this Lyanna knew that Torrhen loved her, out of all her sibling Torrhen was the one she felt closest to. Ever since they shared a womb they ate together, played together, trained together, rode together, fought together, a bond that has lasted for nearly 17 years and doubted it would ever break.

She and her brothers then began collecting arrows from the training grounds, but as Jon was placing arrows that Rickon gave him he looked up, as Lyanna did the same she found her mother giving him one her cold stares. Jon went back to placing arrows back in the rack as Lyanna felt the bile rise in her stomach; she knew how cold her mother's relationship with Jon was as she felt as if Jon was a symbol of Lord Eddard's infidelity, a mistake that was made only once. But from what she saw for the past 16 years she knew that her mother was anything short of cruel to Jon, she just merely tolerated him but for Lyanna that wasn't good enough, Jon was her brother and her mother should treat him as such.

Before she could dwell on the thought further, her father came to the training ground and said in his authorative voice 'Robb, Jon , Lyanna, Torrhen saddle up your horses' he then turned to Bran who just came back from chasing Arya all over Winterfell 'you're coming too Bran' to this Bran ran to the stables to get his horse. Before Lyanna could ask where they were going she noticed ser Rodrik Cassel the master of arms at winterfell handing her father the Stark ancestral sword Ice answering her unasked question. 'An outlaw?' Robb asked 'a deserter from the night's watch' Ned corrected 'some outriders caught him this morning and now I have to pass the sentence and you five are coming with me'. 'I understand Me, Robb, Torrhen and Jon father but Bran is only ten' Lyanna argued for her younger brother 'You and Torrhen were only eight on your first time and Bran won't be a boy forever' her father replied countering her argument 'he needs to know about the laws work in our lands if he's going to learn about the responsibilities of power ' with that Lyanna nodded her head in acceptance then went to get her horse Silverrush from the stables. When the Starks, Rodrik Cassell and the ward of winterfell Theon Greyjoy were saddled up they rode onward to meet the face of the deserter before he met his fate.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It seemed to be colder outside of Wintefell than it was on the inside as the winds kept brushing against Torrhen's skin and through his long hair. Ever since he was old enough to decide how he liked his hair he kept it long to just below his shoulders, although he would in formal occasions place silver bands in his hair to give it a short appearance. He also liked to be kept clean shaven because he liked the feel of the cold wind against his skin. To be honest he liked the cold, he preferred being outside and when he was inside he kept a window open to let the northern air in. While many people would say that he had ice in his veins, people in Winterfell would say that he had the blood of the wolf but he would say that he was a true Northman like his father and ancestors dating way back to the first men who were born in the cold, who lived in the cold, who died in the cold.

The company that left Winterfell were 20 strong including his father Lord Eddard Stark, the master of arms at Winterfell Rodrik Cassel, his father's ward Theon Greyjoy, his brothers Robb, Bran and Jon, his twin sister Lyanna and himself. 19 men and 1 woman on their way to witness the execution of the man who dared break his oath to the night's watch, the order of which each member would serve until death came for them and for this oath breaker death would come today.

Torrhen turned his head to his younger brother Bran, realising that this would be the first time that he would see a man executed, the first time he would see the king's justice at work carried. For a young boy he looked calm and even with no form of emotion showing on his face, just like him and Lyanna on their first time. Bran then looked at Torrhen dead in the eye, blue eyes meeting with almost identical blue eyes, Bran was a young male image of their mother with light blue eyes and auburn hair, while Torrhen too inherited the Tully eyes his was much darker than Bran's. Torrhen gave him a small smile to give him some form of comfort to his younger brother; Bran gave a quick smile back then rode toward Torrhen.

'Was it like this your first time?' Bran asked Torrhen, Torrhen retained his small smile and said 'You mean riding on a horse through the wolfswood with the wind blowing through your face knowing that a man only has a horse's ride to live?'. Bran gave a small chuckle before Torrhen answered his question truly 'In all seriousness though, I had the same feeling that you have now' Bran gave a confused look raising his right eye brow 'What do you mean?' 'I had uneasy feeling inside me knowing that the first time in my life I would see another life end before my eyes, and knowing that eventually a life would be in my hands too when I have the sentence, and that is feeling that hasn't stopped since' 'Do I look uneasy?' 'But are you?' Bran looked down onto the neck of his horse answering Torrhen's question. 'You can put on a stone mask to hide your face Bran, but it does nothing to hide what you're feeling, I know I did but that didn't stop me from vomiting behind the stables' to this Bran gave a small smile but then said 'Do have any advice?' 'I do but it may not be comforting, do you still want to hear it?' to this Bran nodded 'Know that death will come for us eventually, but also know that a person has to have a good reason to die, like the man he has to die because he made an oath of duty then ran away from it, and the one reason that shouldn't give you a reason to kill is because it's fun'. Bran nodded at his elder brother with understanding in his eyes 'Thank you Torrhen' before riding onward next to Ser Rodrik.

'I think you did a good job with that' Torrhen turned to the source of the voice to find her auburn haired twin sister Lyanna with her flowing waving in the wind. Like him she liked to feel the wind blowing through her hair, as such she liked to keep her hair simple with no braids and flowing all the way to half way down her back. 'Are you joking?' Torrhen replied 'He's probably going to have nightmares now' 'You taught him a valuable lesson Torrhen' Lyanna corrected with a serious look in her eyes and face telling him that she was not joking 'Which is?' 'You should never take pleasure in killing another, a lesson in humanity' Torrhen smiled at the praise from his elder sibling, growing up he was the one who took every lesson he learned from his parents, Robb or Lyanna yet now he was the one giving valuable lessons.

'Did you learn that lesson?' Torrhen had to ask in case she knew that lesson and wanted Torrhen to act the wise elder sibling, but to this Lyanna shook her head 'No, in fact that is a lesson I should have learned in my first execution'. Torrhen remembered the first execution that he and Lyanna went to with their father, Robb and Jon. The man facing the headman's block was a poacher who was killing and stealing game from Lord Greatjon Umber's lands of last hearth. He could remember each detail of that execution perfectly, after the poacher admitted that he was killing the animals illegally so that he could sell the skins for a fortune in the reach his father signalled for the man to be brought to the block. As his father drew ice from its wolf pelt sheath, the poacher muttered his final prayers before his father said the words 'In the name of Robert Baratheon, the first of his name, king of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the first men, lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm, I, Eddard of the house Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North sentence you to die' and with that he lifted the great sword above his head and then brought it down cleaving the man's head clean off.

Torrhen kept his eyes on the man throughout the entire event all the way to went the man's head fell to the ground, not once did Torrhen or Lyanna blink their eyes or turn their heads. His father then came up to Torrhen and asked 'Do know why I had to kill him?' to this Torrhen replied 'The man was a poacher, he commited a crime' 'But do you understand why I had to kill him?' 'The old ways are the best ways?' his father then gave him his most serious face and said 'The blood of the first men still flows in the Starks, we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence swings the sword'. Torrhen nodded to this in understanding and then had to ask 'You didn't take any enjoyment from killing him did you?' his father retained his stern face as Torrhen said this 'no I didn't, how did you know?' 'Because you didn't show it and a man who takes pleasure from killing is anything but a man' to this his father nodded his head in agreement 'you have a point there, you truly are wiser than your years Torrhen, and you will be a great man in the future'.

Torrhen returned to the present, still half way to their desination with the wind blowing across his face. Remembering what his sister said at Winterfell knowing that his brother would see for the first time in his life he would see the death of another man. 'You're still not sure about this are you?' Torrhen watched his twin as she brushed her hair out of her eyes delicately with the back of her hand 'He's only ten Torrhen' 'We were only eight when we saw our first execution, and you were a lady not even meant to see blood up until you swung your first sword' Torrhen saw the truth in this, Lyanna was no lady that would gladly sit aside sewing little wolves while her brothers were learning how to fight. While she liked doing things like dancing, dress making and painting, she had the blood of a winter wolf learning how to sword fight, ride, and hunt. But looking at her now, it was clear that she was beautiful and elegant, with her fiery auburn, grey silver eyes and long, lean perfectly formed face made her the envy of every woman in the seven kingdoms earning Lyanna her nickname the beauty of the North.

'Maybe' Lyanna admitted to Torrhen's answer 'yes I guess you are right' 'winter is coming sister, Bran needs to learn exactly what we learned, as did Robb, Jon and eventually Sansa, Arya and Rickon' Lyanna nodded at Torrhen's statement of the Stark words, the warning of the dangers that faced the Starks, every person in Westeros every day beyond the wall and within the seven kingdoms. After that the rest of the journey was travelled in comfortable silence until Robb said 'We're here' and with the Starks got off their horses and made their way to witness the execution of the oathbreaker clad in black.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The outriders had already prepared the area when the party arrived and had the deserter tied by their horses. When her father gave the signal, they untied the man to be brought before him with that Lyanna was able to get a proper look at him; he was around Robb's age with dirty blond hair and light blue eyes, his skin was pale indicating that he was a Northman, he was thin and haggard showing he hadn't eaten for days and his front teeth were crooked making him not a particularity handsome lad. Lyanna stood around 5 feet behind her father with Torrhen and Robb to her left and Bran and Jon to her right. Throughout the short time that they were in the area the man was muttering something that Lyanna couldn't make out, but as he was brought before her father and the execution he was making himself much clearer, and what he said next made her catch her breath in her throat.

'I know I broke my oath, I know I'm a deserter. I should have gone back to the wall and warned them but… I saw what I saw… I saw the white walkers.' Lyanna remembered the White Walkers from the stories that she would tell her and Torrhen whenever they were sick or bed ridden, creatures that were like men only twisted and tainted with evil resembling frozen corpses, coming from the land of always winter that waged war on the seven kingdoms by raising the dead to haunt the living, until they were driven back in the war of the dawn and were forever trapped in the lands of always winter by the wall. But that was 8000 years ago as the story went, the White Walkers were only a myth, a story told that was used to scare little children into behaving, but this man thought differently, he spoke and looked truthfully, or it could just be a lie to spare him from his fate.

'Tell my family that I'm a coward, tell them I'm sorry.' Her father, with the expression on his face never changing once during the man's confession, gave a nod to the men silently ordering them to bring the man to the execution block while he drew Ice from its wolf pelt sheath. Lyanna had seen many swords through her life but none could match the magnificence of Ice. Ice was a great sword that was as wide as a man's hand and was as tall as a 12 year old Lyanna at a height of 5 feet or more, the blade had a black, Smokey appearance and as it was made of Valyarin steel, it didn't need sharpening.

As the man resumed his mutterings, her father began his words of judgment. 'In the name of Robert Baratheon the first of his name, king of the Andals, Rhoynar and the First men, Lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm. I, Eddard of the house Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North sentence you to die'.

'Don't look away, father will know if you do' Jon said to Bran as their father said his words of judgement. Lyanna and Torrhen weren't told this the first time they went to an execution, it was just something that they knew, yet that didn't stop Torrhen throwing up behind a tree when they were travelling through the wolfswood.

With all-powerful swing of his arms, Lord Eddard sliced Ice through the man's neck, cleaving his head off without a sound until it hit the ground with a thud. Lyanna kept her eyes on the man the whole time; she turned to Bran and saw that he did the same. 'You did well' Jon said to Bran before walking to the horses with Torrhen.

Lyanna then placed her hand on Bran's shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze before saying 'It's never easy watching a man die, even less when you're the one to put him to the sword , remember that' giving Bran her own advice remembering Torrhen's own. She then made her way back to the horses while Robb put his hand on Bran's shoulder to lead him to the horses. As Lyanna began to prepare her horse for the ride home, her father was giving the speech that was no doubt told to Lyanna and Torrhen word for word.

Lyanna looked at her eldest brothers and asked 'Do you think he deserved to die?' they looked at her and she could tell that each of them had their own answers to give.

Robb answered first 'The night's watch oath is made for life, once it's made it cannot be broken, but if what he's said is true..'

'Then he didn't deserve to die, the man just a service for Westeros' Lyanna finished his answer knowing what he was going to say.

'Maybe, but at least he died bravely'

'That's the only time a man can be brave' said Jon

'He died bravely, because he was brave' Torrhen entered the conversation with his own opinion 'it's only in a person's final moments that they show what kind of person they truly are' his face devoid of any emotion as he turned his head to look at the body of the deserter being taken away by Stark banner men. Lyanna and the others nodded to this statement, knowing that Torrhen had a wisdom that no one could deny.

All of the Starks, Torrhen had an intellect that outmatched them all. It was as if their mother placed a whole library in her womb so her children could be that smartest in the Seven kingdoms. Obviously this wasn't true, although he spend much of his free time reading absorbing all the knowledge from every book he read, maester Luwin once said that he could match intellect with the likes of Tyrion Lannister and Willas Tyrell, but Lyanna had yet to meet either so as far as she knew, Torrhen was the smartest person she knew.

(-)

As they made their way back to Winterfell; Robb, Jon, Torrhen and Theon raced ahead while Lyanna remained behind with Bran allowing herself to think about what the man said. Was what he said a lie? But why would he lie if he knew he was going to die? But was he mad that he might have imagined the White Walkers? If not why would they return now? These questions had her head spinning, but were brought out by the comforting voice of her father.

'What's troubling you Lyanna?' silver grey eyes met dark grey eyes as Lyanna met her father's gaze. With this she was able to properly collect her thoughts and tell her father as there was no point in lying about what she heard.

'I can't stop thinking about what the deserter said, what if he actually saw the White Walkers?'

'Mad men see what they see Lyanna. The White Walkers haven't been seen in centuries'

'But Torrhen says that they might exist, that's why Bran the builder raised the wall all those years ago' Bran entered the conversation with the knowledge of Torrhen and the close resemblance of this words. Eddard looked a bit lost pondered his thoughts, as he looked back at Lyanna and Bran.

'I won't know about that, but the man had to die for his crime, once the oath is made it cannot be broken' at this both Lyanna and Bran nodded in acceptance before Bran rode ahead to join his elder brothers. 'Bran has learned more from Torrhen than maester Luwin it seems'

'He truly is smart' Lyanna said, her face full of admiration for her twin.

'Aye, that he is' Ned said with agreement 'though he does tend to sharpen his tongue more' Lyanna could see the truth in this, while Torrhen was smart often thinking before fighting he would use his sharp tongue to make jokes to would annoy others, but would also let his temper be known he was never one to keep things bottled up.

Just then Torrhen came rushing up to them with his voice as fast as his horse 'Father, Lyanna come quickly we found something' with haste both Lyanna and her father followed Torrhen to a where her brothers and Theon surrounded what Torrhen was talking about. Lyanna passed the men that blocked the object, and saw something that made her stomach churn. It was huge stag the size of a war horse that had been dead for a while, she could smell the foul odour that came from the beast filling her nostrils with decay, one of its antlers had been broken off and its belly had been torn open with its entrails spread out like worms.

Eventually Robb broke the silence with a question that was on everyone's mind 'What could have done this?'

'A Mountain lion?' Theon answered with another question.

'There are no mountain lions in the North' Torrhen said with absolute certainty.

'How do you know?' Theon asked. At this, Torrhen tapped his head three times saying_because I do. _Theon then looked away knowing that it was a question he knew the answer to 'Right, stupid question, forget I asked'.

Just then the group noticed a trail of blood leading to a large ditch near the dead stag, her father followed with Lyanna just behind. The trail ended to something that made her heart break, a wolf larger than any wolf she ever saw dead just as the stag, with fur like silver and a white snow under belly, with its tongue rolled out and the missing stag antler lodged in its throat. Not only that, but there were also seven small pups that huddled close to the remaining warmth their deceased mother's belly.

'It's a freak!' Theon blurted out.

'It's a dire wolf' Lyanna corrected as she stroked her hand across the fur of the beast, it was softer than she imagined, like silk from the reach, it made her cry that a creature as magnificent and majestic as the wolf could die like this.

Her father then pulled out the antler in awe at the size of it 'Tough old beast'

'Since when do dire wolves travel south of the wall?' Robb asked.

'Not since for 200 years' Lord Eddard replied.

'Well now there are seven' Jon said.

'She must have held on long enough to whelp, poor creature' Torrhen said as he knelt near the furry newborn pups, picked up the nearest one seeing if it was healthy. He then handed the pup to Bran whose eyes lit up and a smile formed as it nuzzled near his chest.

But Bran's enjoyment was interrupted when ser Rodrik said 'They don't belong down here'

'Better a quick death' her father agreed, Lyanna couldn't believe her ears on what her father was saying 'they won't survive long without their mother'.

On her father's silent command Theon on instinct removed his dagger from his belt 'Give him here Bran' he said, but rather than Bran actually giving the pup to Theon , he tore the furry thing from Bran's comforting chest and arms. As Bran cried in horror Torrhen rose, his fist clenched ready to strike Theon, but just in time Lyanna placed her hand on her twin's shoulder before he could act. Although his body remained in calm composure, she could feel he was still tense.

'Put your knife away now' Robb said in his best commanding voice.

This however proved to be a fruitless effort as Theon said 'I take orders from your father not you' his knife still at the pup's throat.

In a final last ditch effort Lyanna said 'Father please you can't do this' her eyes beginning to swell with tears.

Her father however remained solemn 'I'm sorry Lyanna' he said in an apologetic voice knowing he too was said by what was going to happen 'but it's for the best'. When all hope seemed lost the saving grace came from Jon.

'Wait a minute Lord Stark' Jon said as all of them turned their heads towards him 'there are seven pups, one for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is the sigil of your house, they were meant to have them'.

'I agree with Jon father' Lyanna said, relieved that Jon came to aid but at the same time wondered why her brother said seven instead of eight, suddenly a cold feeling grew within her, as it did her father was pondering about what Jon said and then came to his decision.

'You'll train them yourselves, you'll feed them yourselves, and if they die you'll bury them yourselves' addressing all his children, then marched back up the road with ser Rodrik. Theon then sheathed his dagger before giving the pup back whose smile returned to his face. Jon then gave two pups each to Theon and Bran while Torrhen walked up to Lyanna which to two pups in his arms.

'Which one do you want?' he asked, Lyanna then looked at the pups his arms and picked up the one that wasn't nuzzling Torrhen's chest, knowing that that pup had already grown attached to him. He pup she picked up had silver running down its back from its snout to the tip of its tail, as well as its paws while the rest of it was white like snow, resembling its mother. Its eyes were of a similar colour matching her own. Then as she reduced the distance between the pup and her face, it licked her cheek forming a smile on Lyanna's face. Right now Lyanna was this pup's whole world and she was filled with joy and happiness _This must be what a new mother feels like_ she thought. She was brought out of her thoughts by Bran's sweet voice.

'Why don't you have one?' he asked, Lyanna turned her head to see that he was talking to Jon, and what her brother said next made her heart break.

'I'm not a Stark'

_Yes you are Jon, gods be damned that you think otherwise_. The words were in her head, yet she couldn't get the words out. How could her brother think of himself so low? Just because he wasn't her full blooded brother dosen't mean he's any less a Stark. But seeing that she couldn't seem to argue with him right now she made her way back to the horses. Just then she heard a small whimper, she turned her head to see it coming from a small bush. Jon came up to the bush, reached in and pulled out a small wolf pup with fur as white as snow.

'An albino the runt of the litter, that one's yours Snow' Theon said with a grin on his face.

'Don't worry Greyjoy' Torrhen said 'I'm sure that if we look hard enough in the river we can find you a nice little squid as a pet, maybe you can keep it in a bowl in your room' Lyanna and Robb roared with laughter at their brother's jest, while Theon's grin disappeared and walked back to the horses to avoid further embarrassment with Robb and Torrhen in tow.

'A wolf of your own, do you know what this means Jon?' Lyanna asked Jon with a smile on her face. Jon however had his face full of confusion.

'It means you are a Stark'

**_How do you like my new writing style? I've begun writing a new line when a new person is talking, pleas leave comment in review and thank you for waiting, this chapter took longer than I thought_**


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